Thursday, May 19, 2016

(New York, NY)- If you thought the AC45 sailors participating in the
recent America’s Cup World Series off the downtown Manhattan waterfront
along the Battery Park esplanade had a tough time chasing windshifts,
think about how real “local knowledge” can be put to the test with a
large fleet of J/105s! In fact, a number of “locals” who watched the
ACWS event commented on the fact that sailing on the Hudson River into
the “Valley of Death” between the Jersey City towers to the west and the
World Financial Center complex to the east is often fraught with
massive holes and 70 degree windshifts- generally, a “no go zone” for
racers who know the waters between lower Manhattan and the Verrazano
Narrows Bridge to the south.

For those “in the know”, sailing in currents and shifty winds on the
Hudson River has it’s benefits, like having some of the world’s most
spectacular real estate on your front door step each day, Wall St,
Freedom Tower and the Empire State Building to the north and the iconic
Statue of Liberty literally in the middle of your race course.

Over the past few years, J/105 Fleet 10 out of Liberty Landing Marina,
has continued to grow as a fleet and each spring they host The Manhattan
Regatta. It will be sailed from May 21st to 22nd out of Liberty
Landing Marina (Jersey City, NJ- where there’s plenty of safe convenient
slips and parking for crew and friends). The slip fees are discounted
from summer rates (just mention you are racing in the regatta). Eleven
boats are currently registered (still not too late to jump in!).

The race course will be in the area east of the Statue of Liberty.
Racing in this unique venue is challenging due to the strong currents
and commercial traffic. The regatta occupies a relatively open part of
the season schedule. It’s a week before Memorial Day weekend and two
weeks before the Cedar Point One Design Regatta.

The annual event includes a sunset party on the Liberty Lightship that
is docked at the marina. The lightship is one several surviving
lightships that was originally stationed near Cape Lookout Shoals, NC.
There’s also a convenient ferry that’s a 10 minute ride across the
Hudson to Lower Manhattan- the Liberty Landing Ferry that departs the
ferry terminal in front of the World Financial Center on the end of
Vesey Street.